1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to golf swing aids and, more particularly, to golf training glasses particularly designed to improve a golfer""s putting stroke and a golfer""s swing.
2. Background Art
Devices to help golfers improve their swing have been known in the art for years. In particular, many of these devices have taken the form of spectacles or glasses to be worn by a golfer. These glasses or spectacles are generally designed to minimize head movement during a golf swing, maintain the alignment of a golfer""s body during a swing, provide a shot line, or a combination thereof.
For instance, each of Fabanich, U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,849, Palumbo, U.S. Pat. No. 3,264,002 and McMurdo, U.S. Pat. No. 2,009,700 are directed to eyeglasses for use as golf training devices having one or more horizontal lines extending across at least a portion of the lenses for defining a visual path from the ball to the hole. Fabanich further includes a small gap in one of those horizontal lines in which to locate the ball, and a sight guide which may be adjusted between positions closer to and farther from a golfer""s eyes. In contrast, Palumbo includes an extension bar which attaches to the frame of a pair of glasses for visual alignment of the ball with a target.
Other prior art golf training glasses, including Engesser, U.S. Pat. No. 3,487,549, Underhill, II, U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,104, Krupicka, U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,076 and Griffith, U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,953, disclose eyeglasses having one or more horizontal lines extending across at least a portion of one of the lenses, and one or more vertical elements positioned proximate the horizontal lines in at least one lens. The combination of the vertical and horizontal elements allows alignment of a target, such as ball, in the cross hairs. Further, the vertical portion may function to help a golfer align a golf club such as a putter, while the horizontal line may be provide a guide for the ball path.
While these and other prior art devices have worked well, it is desirable to provide an improved pair of golf training glasses to help shave strokes off of a golfer""s game. In particular, while prior devices have provided cross hairs for location of a ball and a horizontal line to assist in locating a ball path, none of these prior art references have provided a method by which a golfer can also align his or her feet in relationship to the club head and the ball. Foot alignment is important as a golf stroke, and more particularly a putting stroke, requires balance and proper weight distribution. Thus, it is a goal to provide proper alignment of a golfer""s feet with the initial location of the ball and the desired path of the ball.
Moreover, and it is likewise desired to provide a horizontal ball path which helps focus a golfer more clearly on the path of the ball toward a target. To this end, it is desirable to provide a path defined by lines or bars which leads to a desired target, such as a golf hole.
Further, inasmuch as straight horizontal parallel lines tend to diverge when viewed through spectacles toward a point in the distance, it is likewise desired to provide converging lines to provide a uniform ball pathway extending from a ball placement location to a targetxe2x80x94to assist a golfer in lining up a shot, and maintaining his or her head still during club take back and ball striking.
These and other desirous characteristics of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present specification (including claims) and drawings.
The present invention is directed to golf training glasses to assist a golfer""s swing, and particularly a golfer""s putting game. The golf training glasses comprise a frame, a pair of lenses associated with the frame and a sight guide associated with each lens. The sight guide includes an upper guide bar and a lower guide bar, wherein the upper and lower guide bars extend from the inner portion of the lens to the outer portion of the lens. In a preferred embodiment, the upper and lower guide bars are oriented substantially horizontally. The upper guide bar is separated at least partially from the lower guide bar to form a shot pathway between the upper and lower guide bars.
In a preferred embodiment, the upper and lower guide bars at least partially converge toward one of the right and left sides of the lens to form a converging shot pathway to focus the shot line of a golfer. The converging upper and lower guide bars preferably compensate for distance distortion and create a substantially uniform shot pathway from the ball to an intended target.
The sight guide further includes a ball placement locator for positioning of the ball relative to the shot pathway. In one preferred embodiment, the ball placement locator includes two vertical bars which form a substantially rectangular ball positioning window. One of the vertical bars may further include a club alignment edge for squaring a club relative to the ball and the shot pathway. In another preferred embodiment, the ball placement locator includes substantially rounded bars to form a substantially rounded ball positioning window.
The sight guide also preferably includes a pair of foot placement guides to help align a golfer""s stance with the ball, the shot pathway and the club path. The foot placement guides preferably extend substantially downward from the lower guide bar in each lens, and are preferably contoured to match a golfer""s shoes.
In a preferred embodiment, the ball placement locator bars and ball placement window are positioned in one lens to accommodate a right-handed golfer. In another preferred embodiment, the ball placement window is reversed to accommodate a left-handed golfer.
The golf training glasses may comprise a pair of sunglasses, a pair of prescription glasses or a pair of clip-ons. Moreover, the sight guide may be printed, etched, painted or stuck onto the inside surface of the lenses. Alternatively, the sight guide may be placed on the outer surface of the lenses, or may be attached to the glasses if the sight guide includes a separate piece which is attachable to preexisting glasses.